Handle for vacuum cleaners and the like



Aug. 13, 1940. LANG 2,211,663

HANDLE FOR VACUUM CLEANERS AND THE LIKE Filed July 26, 1959 Irwventovw.

- Henry'TL, n

l-lis Attorney Patented Aug. 13, 1940 v v UNITED STATES HANDLE roa VACUUM CLEANERS nn 'rnn Henry T. Lang, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Electrio Vacuum Cleaner Company, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a. corporation of New York Application July 26, 1939 Serial No. 286,560

, 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to handles for hand type electric tools such as vacuum cleaners and the like.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved handle construction in which a control switch is closed as the handle is gripped and in which the strain on the conductor cord is effectively relieved. For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended thereto;

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective ,view of a hand type vacuum cleaner equipped with a handle embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the handle showing the switch in the open position; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the switch in the closed position; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line -l@ of Fig. 2; Fig, 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the strain relief sleeve for the conductor cord; and Fig. '7 is a fragmentary view of a modification of the switch supporting construction.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a vacuum cleaner having a) suction nozzle i connected to the front of a casing 2. Within the casing is the conventional electric motor-driven fan which creates the suction at the nozzle. The air drawn through the nozzle is discharged to a bag 3 connected to the discharge outlet of the fan (not shown).

. On the upper side of the vacuum cleaner is a handle 4 secured at its front end to the cleaner casing by means of a screw 5 extending down through a post 6 on the handle and threaded into a boss I on the cleaner casing. At the other endthe handle is secured to the cleaner casing by means of screws 8 extending through flanges 9 projecting from each side of the handle. The part of thehandle intermediate the ends is spaced from the cleaner casing so that the handle may be gripped by the operator. 7 A On the under side of the handle is a downwardly facing recess l0 having on its top wall a'seat for a switch l2. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the switch seat comprises an inclined surface l3 against Y which the bottom of the switch rests and side walls I t engaging sides of the switch. The switch I2 is connected by conductors 15 in series with one ofthe linetcon'ductors of a conductor-cord l6 connected to the cleaner. The conductor cord has molded thereto an enlarged rubber relief sleeve I] which fits in a downwardly facing groove ii in the under side of the projecting endof the handle at the rear of the cleaner. As shown in Fig. 5, the groove has an opening IQ of such size that the conductor cord 16 may be inserted therein, the conductor cord being placed over the opening and pressed transversely into the groove. After insertion of the conductor cord, it is pulled endwise to move the strain relief sleeve l1 into the groove. The width of the opening it is sumciently less than the diameter of the strain relief sleeve so that the strain relief sleeve is securely held in the groove. Integral with the inner end of the strain relief sleeve I1 is a rectangular flange 20 which fits between the side walls of the recess Ill and engages a shoulder Zion the handle. The flange 20 takes the strain resulting from pulling the conductor-cord It. The lower side of the flange 20 has a curved part 2 0a which conforms to the curvature of the vacuum cleaner casing, and is clamped between the casing and the handle. With this construction a pull on the conductor, cord i8 is transmitted from the conductor cord through the strain relief sleeve ill and the parts 20 and 2M integral therewith directly to the handle.

The switch i2 is operated by a lever 32 which is pivoted in the recess Ill on a pin 23 extending between the side walls of the handle. The lever 22 is of iJ-shaped section as shown in Fig. 4, the sides of the lever being adjacent the inner walls of the recess in and the bottom wall of the, lever closing the recess. As shown in Fig. 2, the operating lever 2d of the switch extends between the side walls of the lever 22. The force exerted on the switch operating lever 2; by raising of the lever 22 is upward and to the left as viewed in Iii) Fig. 3. This force accordingly acts in a direction' to hold the switch against the inclined wall as.

-The switch operating lever 24 is spring-biased to the open position shown in Fig. 2. In this position the lever 24 is slightly below the switch operating lever, the lower position of the lever 22 being limited by engagement of the end of the lever with the inner surface of the-post 8. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the

switch is held against its seat solely by the conductors l5 which extend from the inner end of the flange 20. strain relief sleeve l'l, up between the flange and the pin 23, and along the top wall of the recess. and are connected to the righthand end of the switch l2. The conductors f 5 are slightly longer than the distance between the strain relief sleeve and the switch, and the conductors accordingly exert a force on the switch to the left as viewed in Fig. 2, holding the switch against the bottom wall l3 of its seat and against 86 a shoulder 25 at the left-hand end of theswitch seat, The switch is more securely held in position by reason of the fact that the bottom wall I3 oi the switch seat is inclined upwardly toward the right from the shoulder 25. The force exerted on the switch by the conductors I5 accordingly has an upward component holding the switch against the wall I3.

In the use of the cleaner the operator grips the handle and raises the lever 22 to the position shown in Fig. 3. During this movement the bottom wall of the lever 22 engages the switch operand partly under the force of the switch operating lever 24. The operation has been described with the switch I2 being of the momentary contact" type which is closed when the lever 24 is raised and open when the lever 24 is lowered. It is also feasible to use a switch of the type in which the switch is operated only by the raising of the lever 24. With this arrangement the switch upon being closed by lifting the lever 22 would remain in this position until the lever 22 was lowered and again raised.

With the above described handle construction the'assernbly of the conductor cord and switch is greatly simplified. The connection of the switch" to the conductors I5 ofthe conductor cord is made outside the handle. The conductor cord is then placed over the opening I9 and pressed through the opening into the groove I8 and pulled endwise to move the strain relief sleeve into the groove with the flange 2!] bearing against the shoulder 2 I. The switch is then placed on the inclin'ed wall I3 at the top wall of the recess in the position illustrated, and is held in this position by the conductors I5. The lever 22 may now be placed in the recess and the pin 23 inserted to pivotally connect the lever to the handle. This completes the assembly of the handle and switch. Since the conductors I5 extend between the pin 23 and the flange 20, movement of the conductors from the position illustrated is substantially prevented. The slight clearance between the conductors I5 and the pin 23 is insuflicient to permit movement of the conductors from the position against the top wall of the recess. When the handle is fastened to the cleaner the curved portion 2 I a of the flange 20 is clamped between the handle and the cleaner, holding the strain relief sleeve firmly in position.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the inclined top wall 26 of the recess III is recessed toprovide shoulders 21 and 28, engaging the ends of the switch and locating the switch therein. As in the previously described construction, the switch is held in position by the conductors I5 which exert a force on the switch, holding the switch against the shoulder 28 and against the inclined wall 25.

The above described strain relief is being claimed in a divisional application Serial No.

r 326,760 filed March 29, 1940.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a hand type electric tool, a handle therefor having a recess therein, a lever in said recess biased outward to a position from which it will be moved inward in the recess as the handle is gripped, a switch in the recess, a seat in the recess for the switch, a conductor-cord having conductors fixed to the handle and extending through the recess to the switch, said conductors exerting a force on the switch holding the switch against its seat, and 'an-opcrating member on the switch arranged to be operated by the lever.

2. Ina hand'type electric tool, a handle therefor having a recess therein, a lever in said recess biased outward to a position from which it will be moved inward in the recess as the handle is gripped, a conductor cordfixed to one end of the handle and having conductors extending into the recess, a switch in the recess to which said conductors are connected, a seat in the recess for the switch, said conductors being of greater length than the distance between said end of the handle and the point of connection to the switch whereby the conductors exert a force on the switch holding the switch against its seat, and an operating member on theswitch arranged to be operated by the lever.

3. In a hand type electric tool, a handle therefor having a recess on its under side, a lever in said recess biased outward to a position from which it will be moved inward in the recess as the handle is gripped, a conductor cord fixed to one end of the handle and having conductors extending therefrom into and along the top wall of the recess, a switch in the recess to which said conductors are connected, an inclined seat for the switch in the'top wall of the recess having a shoulder engaged by the switch, said conductors being of greater length than the distance between said end of the handle and the point of connection to the switch whereby the conductors exert a force on the switch holding it against its seat, and an operating member on the switch arranged to be operated by the lever. 

